1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to vehicles and, in particular, to chemical-based events, such as odors, that are detected in vehicles. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method, apparatus, and system for rapidly investigating these types of chemical-based events that occur in vehicles, such as aircraft, to determine the causes of these events in the vehicles.
2. Background
Within a vehicle, multiple systems may be working both independently and together to ensure that the vehicle operates within selected tolerances. In some situations, an event may occur that affects operation of the vehicle in an undesirable manner. Depending on the type of event, the first detectable sign of the event may be an odor within the vehicle or a physical reaction by one or persons onboard the vehicle. It may be important to be able to quickly identify the event that caused the odor or physical reaction. For example, if the cause of the odor or physical reaction is an issue with a particular part or system in the vehicle, identifying this cause quickly may allow the part or system to be more quickly repaired or replaced as needed.
As one example, the vehicle may take the form of an aircraft. During flight, an event that occurs within an environmental system of the aircraft may cause an odor to be detected by a passenger or crew member. This odor may be caused by changes in the air inside the aircraft resulting from the event that occurs within the environmental system. The changes in the aircraft may include, for example, without limitation, an introduction of one or more chemical compounds into the air inside the aircraft, a change in the proportional concentrations of one or more chemical compounds in the air inside the aircraft, or some combination thereof.
Analysis of the one or more chemical compounds causing the odor detected may provide an indication of the type of event that has occurred. However, with some currently available systems, identifying the one or more chemical compounds that are causing the odor may be more difficult, time-consuming, and in some cases, more expensive than desired. With currently available methods and systems for identifying the chemical compounds causing the odor, investigation of the odor may not be able to be performed until several hours or even days after the initial detection of the odor. In situations where the odor is intermittent, the delayed identification may hamper identifying the cause of the odor and the location of this cause.
Currently available systems may be unable to (1) rapidly identify the one or more chemical compounds causing a chemical-based event that occurs inside a vehicle; (2) link these chemical compounds to the chemical-based event; (3) and link these chemical compounds to the cause of the event, while still onboard the vehicle. As one example, currently available systems may require that samples of air from inside an aircraft be taken to a laboratory for analysis. Typically, the laboratory is located remotely relative to the location of the aircraft. For example, the laboratory may be located away from the runway or airport gate at which the aircraft is located, many miles from the airport at which the aircraft is located, or in a different city or state.
Consequently, the overall process involved in identifying the chemical compounds causing the odor and linking these chemical compounds to the event that caused the odor may take days or weeks, thereby reducing the likelihood of detecting the cause of the odor. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that take into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues.